Primate Ayodele Denies Alleged N150M Extortion Claim by Minister Adelabu

Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has rejected claims by Minister of Power Bayo Adelabu that he attempted to extort N150 million from him.

According to reports, Adelabu reportedly petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), alleging that Ayodele demanded the purchase of around 1,000 trumpets valued at approximately N150 million.

Adelabu claimed that his refusal prompted the cleric to prophesy that he would not become governor of Oyo State.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele denied the allegations, saying he never requested money from the minister aside from providing guidance on the trumpets, which he described as a spiritual recommendation for Adelabu.

Ayodele explained that it was the minister who initially inquired about the cost of the instruments. “I merely gave an estimate and advised him to send someone to check the market prices,” he said.

The cleric also alleged that Adelabu, along with his personal assistant and another intermediary, had pressured him due to the minister’s strong ambition to secure the Oyo State governorship.

According to Ayodele, “I didn’t ask Bayo Adelabu to bring money for prayers, I told him to ask someone from his end to go to the market and find out how much the said trumpet cost, while someone follows them from my end too. His personal assistant, himself, and the person he sent to me put me under so much pressure because he was desperate for governorship.”

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He continued: “He was the one who sent someone to me to talk to me on his behalf. He went as far as saying he was willing to give anything to become the next governor of Oyo State, and the only thing I told him is to get the trumpets for his own good.”

Expanding on the matter, Primate Ayodele stated that he had told Adelabu that winning the governorship ticket would be challenging.

He explained that the recommendation to purchase the musical instruments intended not for his church but as a gesture seeking divine favor, was meant to invoke spiritual guidance.

He added that Adelabu ultimately chose not to follow the advice.

“I told him that they won’t want to give him the governorship ticket, but if he wants it so bad, he should seek the mercy of God by buying the musical instruments for God, not even for my church, but he said he can’t do it, that’s all,” he said.

The cleric affirmed that he had consistently cautioned that Adelabu’s quest for the governorship would need divine intervention. He stressed that his prophecies were never contingent on the minister’s decision not to purchase the trumpets.

He said, “I have been talking about how he won’t be made governor of Oyo State for years; this is why he called me to seek solutions. I have never spoken to him before till he sent people to me and personally requested my spiritual help. I don’t make prophecies to make money, I am blessed already, and my subsequent prophecies after our discussion about his ambition aren’t because he failed to buy the musical instrument, it can never be.”